Scoring breakdown

When it comes to newcomers to the Australian car market, the Indian and Chinese producers have accounted for a fair share of the activity in the last five years or so.

Not that any have carved themselves any sizeable and ongoing chunk of the market. Great Wall made an early charge for market share but quickly reverted to name brands once the likes of Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi dropped the prices of their rival utes.

Australian car buyers seem content with the brands they’ve known for years.

To be fair, Mahindra is far from a newcomer. Formed in the 1940s, the Indian giant was quickly known for tractors and utes. And its Pik-Up ute has been available here since 2007, albeit in relatively small numbers.

Since 2012, Mahindra has offered its XUV-500 SUV, which comes as a two- and four-wheel-drive wagon. In this test we’ve driven the two-wheel-drive version.

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What do you get?

At $29,990 plus on-road and dealer costs, the Mahindra XUV-500 is not revolutionary on its pricing, given the more established competition it’s up against. A four-wheel-drive model with the same equipment adds $3000.

Included is leather trim, auto wipers, cruise control, Bluetooth and mirrors that automatically fold back when the car is parked. There’s also a colour touchscreen (albeit with sometimes fiddly buttons and some odd warnings) that includes voice operation for some functions. Included are rear parking sensors and a reversing camera which, between them can estimate the distance to the nearest centimetre to whatever it is you’re about to back in to.

Stability control and six airbags look after the safety package, but those airbags only cover side protection for the first and second row of seats. Given the third row of seats – taking capacity to seven – is one of the big drawcards of the XUV-500 it’s a disappointing oversight.

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What's inside?

Climbing in to the XUV-500’s cabin is like a blast from the past. Mismatched plastics, dated designs and wood-look plastic that’s as fake as we’ve seen. There are also shiny surfaces which in the wrong light or in a tunnel can reflect annoyingly towards the driver.

The fit and finish is poor, at best, with bits of plastic not lining up properly and some oversized gaps where they shouldn’t be. And you don’t have to push or prod too many plastic components to elicit a creak or three.

In an era when even budget brands have managed to sharpen their interior presentations, the Mahindra looks and feels cheap. And some things just don’t work – or, at least, not how they’re supposed to work. Opening the upper glovebox, for example, sometimes takes a couple of pokes at the button, while the seat controllers can be clunky. It’s possible it was a one-off on our car but the overall integrity isn’t great.

The seats themselves are flat and unsupportive, although the driving position gives a decent view of surroundings.

But there are respectable storage binnacles and covered areas – when you can open them. There’s also an overhead sunglass holder as well as those twin gloveboxes and a separate binnacle stop the dash, as well as a dual-level centre console and cupholders.

The middle row leg- and head room is respectable although the seats are firm and with some lumps in odd places. They come with an arm rest with cupholders. The third row - you enter by relatively easily double-flipping the split-fold middle row - is more cramped and has occupants' heads precariously close to the glass.

There are at least air vents to all three rows as well as overhead grab handles. That third row can also be easily folded in two parts creating a more useful flat floor of luggage space, something that is all but non-existent with all seven seats in use.

Under the bonnet

Mahindra describes the XUV-500’s cheetah-inspired design as “unmistakable” and with “bold, glorious lines”, all of which apparently ensures you’ll notice “the vehicle’s innate desire to pounce at anything that stands before it”.

Someone forgot to tell the engineers about the pouncing bit because the 2.2-litre diesel engine is only just adequate but across a relatively narrow rev range between about 2000 and 3500rpm. There’s 103kW and a respectable 330Nm of torque from just 1600rpm, something that gives it decent low-rev pulling power, provided the turbo is puffing away; it gets up to speed quickly enough.

There’s no auto option so you’re stuck with the notchy and temperamental six-speed manual that can make city driving a chore. It’s in keeping with the rough and grumbly engine, though.

It’s a shame because Mahindra has the right idea on some fronts; it’s fitted a stop-start system to save fuel when stationary, but its execution is appalling. As well as a rough shutdown and lengthy chugging start-up (something that have you stalling if you release the clutch too soon) it temporarily cuts the electrics (sound system, headlights, etc) when it’s refiring the engine. To top it off it wants to beep at you and hit you with oil and battery warning lights every time the engine shuts down ... just in case you somehow hadn’t noticed the engine had stopped rumbling.

On the road

To cut straight to the point there’s not a lot right with the way the XUV-500 goes about its business on the road. Average grip from the 17-inch Bridgestone Dueler tyres (they at least look tough) and some rocking and rolling through the bends is the start of a sub-standard equation.

The steering is also woolly and subject to torque steer (or tugging of the steering wheel) when accelerating out of slow bends. That’s because the two-wheel-drive model drives the front wheels. Somehow, the Mahindra also manages to thunder unceremoniously into bumps and generally wallow about. It’s a very inelegant and, often, uncomfortable way to get around.

Verdict

Lashings of equipment can’t compensate for poor basics – and the XUV-500 has plenty of the latter. Sub-standard driving dynamics, poor attention to detail and a gruff and underwhelming engine combine with a less than stellar price tag take the Mahindra off most shopping lists.